Twitter business models are springing up everywhere. It’s no wonder, as Twitter is such a powerful social networking tool. There are now millions of active Twitter members.
The problem with Twitter is that there are so many people using it. An astounding 16,500 each hour is said to be the average, and a minimum of 3 million Tweets a day. Imagine sifting through all those people Tweeting and trying to sort out what’s useful and what is just spam?
How can you connect with the hundreds of thousands of prospective clients- and how will you find them in the first place? Tracking your Twitter followers is also another problem!
But thanks to the numerous free and paid Twitter applications available, these tedious tasks are made easier.
If you’re a newbie when it comes to using Twitter as part of your business’ social network marketing strategy, let me introduce these free tools to you. No, I don’t recommend that you purchase that shiny “Pro-Twitter Marketing” tools just yet, let yourself learn these apps first before you go for the big guns.
1.) Tweetstats- Twitter account statistics
Tweetstats is a robust Twitter marketing statistics client. You can see which time of the day you are most active, how much you Tweet, what platforms you use (be it web, phone, etc) and who you often Tweetback to.
This is useful because you will see your downtimes, if you’re focusing too much- or too little- on a member, and so forth. The graphical interface, plus the Tweet Cloud that accompanies is in it- of Tweetstats makes your Twitter marketing efforts easier.
2.) Tweet Scan/Splitweet- Brand tracking in Twitter
If you want to follow certain keywords, such as your name or brand, you can use these tools. Your Twitter business marketing will only be successful if you diligently follow your brand.
Now there’s a difference between Tweet Scan and Splitweet. Tweet Scan only allows you to scan your keywords, or if a @usernamehere mentioned certain words.
Splitweet allows you to manage multiple accounts, very helpful for a Twitter marketing expert. It’s very hard to keep up with those Tweets when you’re managing 2 or 3. But it also helps you keep track of your brand, as it shows which tweet mentioned it.
3.) TweetSuite- Twitter and WordPress integration
If you’re one of the 15 million WordPress users, then you might want to use TweetSuite. It is one of the most comprehensive free Twitter plug-ins out there. It is also a great Twitter business tool, as it can publish the newest posts as tweets, be added as a widget, has a TweetBack functionality, etc.
You don’t need to manually post links of your new blog posts on Twitter; TweetSuite can do it for you. This can be a real time saver and have your Twitter followers coming to visit your blog all the time and hopefully start a conversation about an interesting post of yours.
4.) Twhirl- Desktop Twitter client
If you’re one of those people who doesn’t like logging into Twitter.com, and prefer to use a desktop client, then Twhirl could really help you out. The Twitter web interface is ok, but I don’t think it’s intuitive enough, especially when you’re maintaining multiple accounts.
You can see all the replies intended for you, personal (direct) messages, and updates of all your Twitter friends. This nifty little client is quite robust, and it can handle a multiple accounts, very helpful when using Twitter for your business.
5.) Tweet Later- Tweet scheduling
Tweet Later lets you pre-set Tweets, so that incase you come up with great ideas to Tweet, you can schedule them to come out later. It’s great because it gives your Twitter business marketing a good flow.
Ok, a lot of people are saying that Tweet Later isn’t that great. Some people say that it’s a Twitter marketing tool that ruins the real essence of Twitter. That might be true, but if it’s used correctly, and not as a spam tool, then it can give you a real advantage with your Twitter marketing efforts.
There’s a paid and free version of Tweet Later. You might not need- or want- the paid version for your Twitter business marketing, give the free version a try first. Personally I use the free version and find that it has enough features to fulfill my needs for now.
There are tones of free Twitter marketing tools that can help you get a head start using Twitter for your business. If you’d like to find out more about how you can use Twitter to really explode your business and keep your finger on the pulse of your market then go and check out the Twitter Marketing techniques that the Twitter Treasure Chest has to offer!
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Every person’s dream is to have fun while doing their job. Well if you’re a budding internet entrepreneur, Twitter marketing will make your day fun every single time you try to promote your services or product.
Twitter business models are proven effective, if used correctly. Take note that it’s not just the startups using Twitter for their business, even the more established companies like Namecheap.com, launch Twitter campaigns to attract new customers, and to maintain old ones.
So how can you use Twitter marketing to help improve your business?
1.) Be genuinely interested with people and their Tweets
In Twitter business models, you don’t have as many extra tools as you do with Facebook and MySpace. The 140 characters limit makes it harder to fake interest.
Posting copy & paste or “generic” messages is a big no-no in Twitter marketing. You need to read through some of the Tweets of a person, and read the Tweet you’re about to Tweet back. Tweeting can get you in trouble if you don’t take a minute to think about what you typing, as this guy found out here.
2.) Create a strong, credible Twitter profile
Who are you, and why should customers trust your brand?
In real life, you don’t charge right ahead and offer a person a deal. If they don’t think you’re mental, they’ll at least think that you’re not trustworthy. The same goes with Twitter marketing, don’t try to just blatantly market your products all the time, either affiliated ones or your own.
It’s all about building a rapport with your followers and showing them that you provide value. You want to show that you can build a strong relationship with other people, so that others will trust you.
3.) Avoid repeating Tweets
Everyone knows that spamming is not acceptable, so we didn’t make this all-important rule the 1st one. We all know that finding the right words is hard, but if you want to increase sales through using Twitter as part of your business marketing strategy, make sure that you minimize Tweet repetitions.
Besides, how hard is it to make genuine 160 character Tweets?
4.) Make a plan, and stick to it
Twitter marketing is not all fun and games, although you have to admit it’s very addictive. Twitter business promotion needs a solid plan, so that you will have a goal that you can meet.
For example, you want to establish connections rapidly, you can make a goal to post at least 10 – 15 quality Tweets a day. This way, if you meet your quota regularly, you will know how much impact your Tweets are making in your sales and traffic.
There’s an excellent website you can use to track the clicks on your tweets called http://bit.ly, they are others but I personally use this one.
5.) Don’t be a boring salesman (or saleswoman)
Your Twitter marketing calls for charisma. Don’t make it seem that you think your product is the only thing that you can think of. If an article, photo or video is related to your industry, and does not do your brand any harm, then why not post it and add your 2 cents?
6.) Focus on others, not just yourself (or brand)
Tweet what you think will interest others, more than what interests you. Remember why you made this Twitter marketing campaign? It’s because you want other people noticing how good your stuff is.
If you own a spa business that you want to promote through Twitter, don’t throw in a mind-boggling wild card like your kid learning how to walk; it might a very important moment for you, but others won’t find it that interesting. You should have your own account for non-business Tweeting. These kind of Tweets can work, as it adds an insight into your personal life, but only after you’ve established a rapport with your followers.
7.) If you want Twitter to improve your business’ marketing success or brand, then be dynamic!
Who said that you need to end a conversation if it doesn’t relate to your business? If a topic interests you, then post a Tweet back. If you want to garner attention, then you need to notice others first.
Don’t think that just because you regularly post tweets, people will automatically become aware of you.
8.) There are many Twitter tools out there, utilize them
Twitter business promotion techniques are made easier by the numerous applications available. Multi-account management, pre-scheduled Tweeting, name a problem and you’ll find an application or service that can help you.
9.) Is your profile complete?
If your Twitter profile is basically empty, devoid of pictures and basic information- such as URLs and titles- chances are people won’t spend a lot of time trying to get to know you, or your company.
Make sure that your profile is complete, and it captures the essence of your organization. Pimp up your profile and don’t just use the standard themes.
10.) Tweet constantly!
Keep your profile updated. Don’t be like other Twitter marketing start-ups, which are only active the first few days or weeks. Always keep in mind you must add value to your followers. If you like me, you must come across a lot of articles and blogs that are really useful and interesting. When you do, Tweet them and let your followers know.
Conclusion
Well that’s it for now; hopefully you’ll get something out of these tips and utilize the power of Twitter to really accelerate the growth of your business.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to provide value to your followers. Twitter is starting to struggle with its performance and personally I think it’s not only because of its popularity going through the roof, it also has a lot to do with these automated systems that you see now popping up everywhere that are using RSS feeds or just re-tweeting everything.
The way I approach Twitter is think of Adwords and proper email marketing (not the constant promotion of a product you see many times in affiliate marketing) rolled into one and you won’t go far wrong
Make sure that you stick to your goals; don’t get discouraged if you don’t immediately get responses, it takes time to build a rapport with your prospects, but I guarantee you this is time well spent.
Twitter marketing has its perks, but it also has its down sides. Just make sure that you develop a clear plan, and stick to it! Give it a few weeks, and you’re sure to see the rewards.
If you really want to get a head start with using Twitter for your business then I recommend you check out the Twitter Treasure Chest.
Contained inside the Treasure Chest is a wealth of information that will show you how to build up a big list of targeted followers and then how you can use ninja marketing techniques to get these people to your website.
The bonus videos alone are worth the $17 price tag! So go now and check out the Twitter Treasure Chest and let me know what you think.
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I’ve seen a few reports in the local newspapers lately were people have got into hot water for their Facebook updates, and it now seems like Twittering is having the same negative effects for some people.
This guy has certainly reaped the wrath of a Tweet that was posted in haste, without giving too much thought about the consequences.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29796962
Before micro-blogging sites like Twitter, blogs were the most popular way of self expression on the internet. The big difference between blogging and micro-blogging though is the time it takes you to publish your thoughts. Tweets can now be added and posted in a split second and because of that, you could end you up in some rather sticky situations.
So next time you feel like Tweeting, take a couple of minutes to think before you hit that update button 
